Takoyaki (Japanese Octopus Balls)
Ingredients
Batter
- 1 cup plain flour
- 500 mL hot water
- Dashi stock granules
- 2 eggs
- Dash of soy sauce
- Pinch of salt
- Vegetable oil
Fillings
- Diced boiled octopus
- Sliced green onion
- Japanese pickled ginger
Toppings
- Kewpie mayonnaise
- Takoyaki sauce
- Bonito flakes
- Aonori or chopped seaweed
Instructions
- Make dashi stock by mixing a sachet of hon dashi stock granules with hot water. Set aside and let it cool down.
- Whisk the eggs in a bowl, and add the dashi stock. Gradually mix into the plain flour, then season with soy sauce and a pinch of salt.
- Oil the takoyaki pan well with a paper towl. Heat up your takoyaki machine (or pan), then pour in the batter. Don’t worry if it overflows at this point.
- Place a piece of octopus (or whatever filling you like, really!) in each hole, then top with the green onion and pickled ginger.
- As the takoyaki cooks, use a skewer to divide the batter between each hole. After a few minutes, use skewers to rotate the takoyaki 90 degrees and let the uncooked batter pour back into the takoyaki pan. If it won’t rotate easily, leave it to cook for a bit longer.
- Keep rotating until the takoyaki turns easily. When it’s done, the edges should be brown and crispy. Remove takoyaki from the pan with your skewers.
- Serve on a plate and drizzle with sauce and kewpie mayonnaise. Sprinkle generously with aonori and bonito flakes (or whatever you prefer. I used extra green onion since I couldn’t find aonori).